Given just how packed with content and systems The Division 2 is, the initial hours of the game can throw a few too many things at you, which you wouldn’t be blamed for not being able to keep track of, especially if you’re new to the series or the genre. In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at fifteen basic tips and tricks that should make your experience a little easier and more convenient as you take back control of Washington D.C.
For starters, let’s talk about some of the perks that you should ideally get before all others.
WEAPON SLOT
This is a very, very basic one, which is why it’s perhaps best if you unlock it first. When you start the game, you’ll only have one weapon slot (in addition to one slot for a sidearm). Unlock the Weapon Slot to, as its name suggests, unlock a second slot- it only costs one SHD Tech, so it’s quite cheap.
ARMOUR KITS
Armour is extremely important in The Division 2, seeing as it now essentially functions as your primary health bar, so keeping your armour intact is vital for progress. At the beginning of the game, you can hold a total of three armour kits, which you can use to repair your armour, but the Armour Kit perk tree allows you to upgrade that thrice, with each upgrade allowing you to carry an additional armour kit. Invest at least in the first one as quickly as possible, but don’t hold off on the other two for too long either.
ACCOLADES
Seeing as killing bad guys is what you’ll be doing for the vast majority of your time with The Division 2, the Accolades perk tree – which grants extra XP for certain combat actions – will come in incredibly handy, and give you that extra boost as you attempt to level up faster. There are five Accolade perks in total, giving extra XP for headshot kills, for killing multiple enemies at the same time, for triggering kills by destroying weak points, for triggering kills by destroying environmental objects, and for staying alive for a prolonged period of time. Each of these provides a nice bonus – collectively they’re a significant boost, so invest in them when you can.
DECONSTRUCTION
You’ll be deconstructing a large amount of the stuff you have in your variety in The Division 2 (more on this in a bit), so unlocking both the Deconstruction perks is also a smart idea. The first one gives you a chance to yield extra materials while deconstructing, while the second one gives you a chance to land a rare material while doing so. The second one is quite costly at 5 SHD Tech points, but it’s definitely worth it.
DON’T SELL USELESS GEAR
Speaking of deconstruction- the materials you get from deconstructing weapons and gear will be very useful, as that’s what you’ll use to craft more stuff. And seeing as crafting is one of the best ways to get better gear, deconstruction becomes even more useful. So if you find you no longer have need for some of your older stuff, don’t sell it to a vendor to make a quick buck- deconstruct it instead.
TRINKETS
So how do you make money in The Division 2? Well, given that crafting will, for the most part, be your primary method for getting better stuff, money won’t be too much of a concern anyway, but if you do want to sell some stuff at the vendor, sell your trinkets. You collect these as you loot chests, bags, and boxes scattered throughout the world, and selling these in bulk can give you decent amounts of credits.
SIDE MISSIONS
We’ve already spoken about the Accolades perks, and how these are a great way to level up faster, but if you’re looking for much larger lump sums of XP, there’s a way to get those as well. What is that? Save side missions for later- side missions scale up with you, which means if you ignore side missions while you’re low leveled but then do them later on, they’ll give you more XP. Start piling up side missions in the beginning, and do them after you’ve hit level 10 or 15, and you’ll get much more XP out of them.
RETURNING TO BASE
Every time you level up, you will, of course, gain SHD Tech points- but to spend those, you need to speak to the quartermaster back at your base of operations. While having to sit through the fast travel loading screens every time you level up just so you can spend your SHD Tech can be tiresome (especially at first, when you level up much more quickly), it’s best not to ignore doing so. Perks, as we’ve already discussed, can be very useful.
FIELD PROFICIENCY CACHES
You get more than just perk points for leveling up, of course. You also get a Field Proficiency Cache. Each of these contains items and gear, and while these are rarely anything special, they’re usually in line with your level, and can be decently handy in some situations. If nothing else, they’re good for deconstructing. So don’t ignore these or forget about them- open them as soon as you level up.
SHD CACHES
We’ve mentioned SHD Tech a few times so far- obviously, SHD points are quite important, and though you can get them through story missions and some specific side missions (as well as by levelling up), there are other ways to get more of these as well. For instance, there are SHD Caches lying around in the open world, which are entirely missable, but should not be skipped. Getting plenty of these early on, for instance, is a good idea so you can unlock all the essential perks we’ve already spoken about.
SAFE HOUSES
Every time you enter a new zone in the map, make sure you unlock the safe house first. Not only do these act as respawn points, as well as a place where you can access your stash or restock your ammo, these also mark the locations of points of interests and SHD Caches in the zone on your map, which can be very handy.
CONTROL POINTS
The Division 2’s Washington D.C. is caught in the grips of a furious civil war, so obviously, the streets are crawling with enemies. Zones have Control Points littered across the map, and you should take them over. Not only do they decrease the presence of enemies in the area and give you plenty of XP, each Control Point also has a room full of loot, a lot of which can be pretty good at times.
WEAPONS
This should go without saying in any looter shooter, but at least in the first few hours of The Division 2, don’t get too attached to a gun. Experiment. Try out new guns. Check their rate of fire, or the damage they do, or how they fit the way you want to approach objectives, and keep looking for weapons with better stats.
SKILLS
The skills you can equip in The Division 2 can be incredibly useful in tight situations, and different skills give you different advantages. The Seeker Mine can, well, seek out enemies and deal a decent amount of AoE damage; the Turret can draw aggro and give you breathing room to take out enemies; the shield can be very useful if you prefer using shotguns and want to get up close to enemies for maximum effect. Decide which way you want to play, and unlock and equip skills based on that.
PROJECTS
As you recruit followers in The Division 2, you’ll gain access to Projects, which are missions that give you XP boosts, new gear, upgrades to your settlements, and most importantly, blueprints for crafting- don’t ignore these. If you have gear you want to deconstruct, first check if any of your active Projects need that specific item in question. Also keep on donating crafting materials if and when you can.